Guzmania hybrid cultivar xe2x80x98Esquirexe2x80x99.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Guzmania plant, botanically known as Guzmania hybrid, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name xe2x80x98Esquirexe2x80x99.
Guzmania is native to tropical America. Leaves of the Guzmania are usually formed as basal rosettes which are stiff and arranged in several vertical ranks. Guzmania have terminal flower spikes or panicles which are often bracted with petals united in a tube about as long as the calyx.
The new Guzmania is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Lithia, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Guzmania cultivars with a plant habit appropriate for container production, desirable flowering habit and inflorescence coloration, and good postproduction longevity.
The new Guzmania originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in Lithia, Fla. in March, 1994, of the Guzmania lingulata cultivar xe2x80x98El Copexe2x80x99, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with the Guzmania hybrid cultivar xe2x80x98Anitaxe2x80x99, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The cultivar Esquire was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled environment in Lithia, Fla., in April, 1996.
Asexual reproduction of the new Guzmania by off-shoots in a controlled environment in Lithia, Fla. since June, 1997, has shown that the unique features of this new Guzmania are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations. Asexual reproduction of the new Guzmania by tissue culture done in a laboratory in Sebring, Fla. since January, 1998, has also confirmed that the unique features of this new Guzmania are stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The new Guzmania has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following characteristics have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be basic characteristics of xe2x80x98Esquirexe2x80x99 and distinguish xe2x80x98Esquirexe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar of Guzmania:
1. Upright and outwardly arching plant habit; small stature, suitable for 10 to 12-cm containers.
2. Dark green-colored foliage that is flushed or streaked with purple on both upper and lower surfaces.
3. Inflorescences held upright and above foliage on strong scapes.
4. Inflorescences with closely-spaced bright red-colored flower bracts; terminal bracts are tipped with white.
5. Long-lasting inflorescences that maintain good coloration for about two to three months in an interior environment.
Plants of the new Guzmania differ from plants of the female parent, the cultivar El Cope, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Guzmania grow more rapidly and are easier to grow than plants of the cultivar El Cope.
2. Plants of the new Guzmania are much smaller than plants of the cultivar El Cope.
3. Plants of the new Guzmania have shorter, thinner, more upright and more flexible leaves than plants of the cultivar El Cope.
4. Plants of the new Guzmania are more tolerant to stress than plants of the cultivar El Cope.
Plants of the new Guzmania differ from plants of the male parent, the cultivar Anita, in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Guzmania have shorter inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Anita.
2. Primary flower bracts of plants of the new Guzmania are more closely spaced than primary flower bracts of plants of the cultivar Anita.
3. Plants of the new Guzmania have more terminal flower bracts than plants of the cultivar Anita.
4. Plants of the new Guzmania have red-colored flower bracts whereas plants of the cultivar Anita have orange-colored flower bracts.
Plants of the new Guzmania can be compared to plants of the Guzmania cultivar Empire, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Lithia, Fla., plants of the new Guzmania differed from plants of the cultivar Empire in the following characteristics:
1. Leaves of plants of the new Guzmania were dark green in color and flushed or streaked with purple whereas leaves of plants of the cultivar Empire were light to medium green in color.
2. Plants of the new Guzmania had larger inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Empire.
3. Primary flower bracts of plants of the new Guzmania were longer, narrower, and more pointed than primary flower bracts of plants of the cultivar Empire.